People try to discover who they are as individuals in many different ways. Some go off into the mountains, some travel to distant lands, others go to monasteries, some walk up and down the beach early each morning, and still others seek to discover themselves through creativity and the arts. I have even heard people use “finding themselves” as an excuse for abandoning their responsibilities and commitments.
You may try any path you wish. You may try to find yourself in a thousand different ways, but in a wonderfully profound and mysterious way, it is only through self-donation—giving ourselves to others—that we discover our true self.
There is no greater gift than the sincere gift of self. It is the essence of relationship and life. It is not something that I completely understand, nor is it something I can clearly and definitively explain. But at the times in my life when I have been able to summon the strength of character it takes to give of my time, energy, and resources to make a difference in other people’s lives— it is at those times that I have experienced an unquenchable sense of fulfillment and happiness.
How can you serve other people powerfully today?
Matthew Kelly
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